South Florida's accepting the "Ice Bucket Challenge"

Manny Salgado got thirsty and went to the fridge one day back in May of 2009 and realized he could no longer open a bottle of Coke.

One month later he was diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative disease which causes progressive deterioration of the nervous system. By November he couldn't walk anymore. By December he needed to be hospitalized, and on January 22, 2010 he died in his wife Lillian's arms.

"No one knows how awful it is until you experience it first hand," said Ft. Lauderdale lawyer William Salgado, who was Manny's son. "My dad lost 75 pounds in seven months and died in my mother's arms after 45 years of marriage as he choked to death on his own saliva."

The struggles the Salgado family endured is presently being fought by 2,000 Florida families, which is why William and other members of the ALS community are so thankful that sports team like the Miami Dolphins, politicians, major corporations, and social media are getting behind the "Ice Bucket Challenge."

The "Ice Bucket Challenge" is designed to raise awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

The challenge started in Massachusetts with former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, loss of the use of arms and legs and difficulty speaking, breathing and swallowing.

Frates, who can no longer speak, posted his own ice bucket challenge video to the tune of Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice Baby" and dared a few people to try it. A viral movement ensured as participants are challenged to either dump ice water on their heads or donate to ALS research.

Dolphins defensive lineman A.J. Francis kicked off the Dolphins' crusade by challenging his head coach Joe Philbin a day before the Patriots challenged the Dolphins as a team. Philbin accepted the challenge, getting a bucket of ice water poured on him Wednesday evening, and the Dolphins responded by challenging the team's alumni, fans, and the local media.

"From an alumnus , and all of us who love the Miami Dolphins, we're excited to do this," Marino said, before giving Garfinkel a frigid shower.

And that's how the ice cold water, the donations and awareness keep flowing.

"I think this Ice Bucket Challenge has done more for ALS than anything since 1939 when Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with the disease," said Alissa Gutierrez, spokeswoman for the Florida chapter of ALS. "To have it come out of nowhere is a Godsend. This is pretty incredible that this has become viral, and gotten global."

In the two weeks since the challenge hit social media the ALS foundations nationwide have raised $7.6 million, which drastically trumps the $1.4 million raised in the same time frame last year.

The money raised in each state takes care of their own ALS patients, and Florida has raised $52,000 since the challenge began, which is a $20,000 increase from last year at this time. That money can be used to purchase a specialized wheel chair, which cost $30,000, or a crane lift to help someone get out of bed.

The challenge has even become popular in the political world.

At least two Broward County commissioners took the bait this week, dousing themselves with buckets of ice. Broward Property Appraiser Lori Parrish said she'll accept the challenge for an ice bath on Saturday.

Broward Commissioner Marty Kiar staged his on a patio with one of his young daughters, who also had a pail.

Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, a state House candidate, donned shorts and a tank top and stood in a bathtub outdoors, for her clip.

Each state chapter provides families struggling with ALS financial support, medical equipment and emotional help through counseling. At any given time there's roughly 2,000 individuals battling ALS in Florida, 35,000 nationwide, and 300,000 throughout the world. And the average cost of taking care of someone with ALS is 250,000 annually, Gutierrez said.

To donate to the Florida chapter visit http://www.alsafl.org, and the site has instructions on how to join the "Ice Bucket Challenge."

William Salgado plans to join the social media crusade, issuing the challenge to his law partner, brother and girlfriend. He's hoping the end result will be a society more aware, and supportive of the struggle patients and family members with ALS face.